Star Power and Spectacle: Decoding 1940s Movie Posters

by ASH KINNEY D’HARCOURT

By the 1940s, the Golden Age of Hollywood was in full swing. This era was marked by its iconic films, glamorous movie stars, and the dominance of the major Hollywood studios in which film production and marketing were highly structured and standardized. In the preceding decade, the industry had undergone a transition to sound cinema, introducing new genres that provided audiences fast-paced and witty screwball comedy, dynamic action sequences and musical spectacles. However, the persistent enforcement of the industry’s production code aimed to avoid scandal and ensure modest content for an expanding audience. The interplay between these social and industrial forces can be seen in the visual design and messaging of the movie posters from this decade.

Poster production during this era reflects the importance of stars and genre signals in marketing strategies that catered to moviegoing audiences of the 1940s. Despite relatively meager advertising campaigns, poster art was an expressive tool for conveying movie offerings to audiences. Hollywood’s promotion of its performers is evident in the prominent hand-drawn portraits by skilled illustrators in movie posters. Stars were occasionally linked with specific genres to market films as well. A great example is Cary Grant’s connection with the screwball comedy, illustrated in Warner Bros.’s 1944 adaptation of the Broadway play Arsenic and Old Lace. The poster exhibits Grant’s larger-than-life mischievous smile at the top, underscoring the actor’s ability to draw audiences, and his name—comparable in size to the film’s title—exudes a kinetic energy that conveys the zaniness of the movie to audiences who might be looking for a laugh.

By the 1940s, the Golden Age of Hollywood was in full swing. This era was marked by its iconic films, glamorous movie stars, as well as the dominance of the major Hollywood studios in which film production and marketing were highly structured and standardized.

The 1940s witnessed the proliferation of the crime drama characterized by twisted, dark themes, intricate plots and morally ambiguous characters. Lady at Midnight (1948), a mystery centered around murder and inheritance, is an example of such a movie; its poster can be found among the Ransom Center’s B-movie posters from this era. The illustrations are framed within the confines of a clock shape, hinting at an urgent and high-stakes countdown that encapsulates the essence of the 62-minute film. Despite the poster’s colorful palette, the film itself was shot in black and white, a common practice for most films at the time, with Technicolor reserved for higher-budget A-movie productions.

Following the country’s entry into World War II, Hollywood began to mass-produce war films that functioned as vehicles to reinforce patriotic values. Over time, however, war films began to address the harsh realities of war faced by returning soldiers. Homecoming (1948) is an instance of the latter, adding a unique twist by blending the war film with a romantic drama that revolves around two star-crossed lovers, portrayed by Clark Gable and Lana Turner, who were brought together during wartime. Turner is glammed up in the poster, despite appearing in a drab army uniform in most of the film, and the prominence of both the stars’ names in boldface at the top of the poster signifies their critical role in drawing audiences.

The 1940s heralded the emergence of Technicolor, and the promised visual splendor of this technology was showcased on movie posters. This is exemplified in the promotion of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s musical comedy Neptune’s Daughter (1949), a film centered on a case of mistaken identity within a romantic narrative that features the competitive swimmer and actress Esther Williams alongside actor Ricardo Montalbán. The film itself combines vibrant Technicolor cinematography with extravagant costumes, a picturesque Bermuda location, and breathtaking aqua-musical sequences including Williams’s trademark water ballet. The richly colorful 1940s poster for the movie highlights its color format in a whimsical header.

See more movie posters from the Ransom Center’s collections

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

The depiction of Cary Grant’s mischievous grin on the poster for Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) illustrates the significance of the actor’s star power in drawing audiences as well as the screwball nature of the film.

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Lady at Midnight (1948)

Lady at Midnight (1948) was likely produced to serve as a B-movie that would be shown alongside another film in a double feature. Such films were cost-effective, ensuring studios predictable profits and acting as a safety net in cases of failure of riskier and more expensive A-films. Despite what the ominous red letters in the film’s title imply, the depiction of the murder in the film was rather mild (although the audience was not aware of that until after they had seen the movie).

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Homecoming (1948)

The portraits in the poster of Homecoming (1948) serve a dual purpose: while the embrace between Turner and Gable accentuates the romantic dimension central to the film’s narrative, their pairing additionally embodies the Hollywood trend of coupling stars in films. Homecoming marked Turner and Gable’s third collaboration out of four—three of these featuring wartime romances—reflecting the audience’s enduring interest in the on-screen pairing.

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Neptune’s Daughter (1949)

Esther Williams’s portrait is the centerpiece of this poster for the musical comedy Neptune’s Daughter (1949). The actress’s swimsuit-clad body amid the floating headshots of the two gazing male counterparts marks not only the significance of Williams’ star image as a swimmer but also the gendered marketing conventions of the era. Although unmentioned on the poster, the film features the debut of the Academy Award-winning song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” performed by Williams and Montalbán, adding another layer of cultural significance to the production.

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